How to get your home ready for a move

In this article +

1. Two or three weeks before
2. Talk to both buildings
3. How to pack
4. Furniture and appliances
5. On loading day
6. In the new home
7. Quick checklist

A well-prepared move takes half the time and comes with far fewer surprises. Almost everything depends on what you do in the days before. This is the checklist we use with our clients.

Two or three weeks before

• Decide what goes and what doesn’t. Don’t pack what you won’t use: sell it, give it away or ask us to take it.
• Make a list of the large furniture and appliances. With it and a few photos we can give you a price and know which vehicle is needed.
• Book the date. End of the month and summer are busier.

Talk to both buildings

Ask at the building you are leaving and the one you are moving into whether there are set times for moves, whether the lift needs booking or its walls protecting, and where the van can stop. In the narrow streets of old towns, a council permit to occupy the street is sometimes needed.

How to pack

• Small boxes for books and crockery, large ones for clothes and light items.
• Plates on their edge and wrapped one by one, never stacked flat.
• Each box labelled with the destination room and a word about the contents.
• Screws and fittings from dismantled furniture in a bag taped to the piece itself.

Furniture and appliances

Large wardrobes and beds usually travel dismantled and are reassembled in the new home; we do that too. Empty the fridge and switch it off the day before so it defrosts, and leave the washing machine drained.

On loading day

• Keep a box of essentials to hand: documents, chargers, medication, some clothes and kitchen basics.
• Keep hallways and the entrance clear.
• If you can’t be there, leave someone with the keys and a phone that can be reached.

In the new home

Say where each piece goes before unloading. That way it goes straight into place and doesn’t have to be moved twice.

Quick checklist